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Poems from Deep South books for the Small Publishers Event at the Poetry in McGregor Festival 2024
Seitlhamo Thabo Motsapi lives in Bela Bela. He is married to Monosi Motsapi, and they have four children. He has written poetry sporadically since 1984. He has one collection, *earthstepper*.
Poems from Deep South books for the Small Publishers Event at the Poetry in McGregor Festival 2024
Alan Finlay is a writer, researcher and editor on issues of media freedoms and internet rights. Six collections of his poetry have been published by small presses. He founded and edited a number of literary publications, including *Bleksem* and *donga* (co-edited with Paul Wessels), and was editor of *New Coin* 2003 to 2007. Since 2017 he has been living in Argentina.
Poems from Deep South books for the Small Publishers Event at the Poetry in McGregor Festival 2024
Phillip Zhuwao was born in 1971. He went to school in the Chitungwiza area of Zimbabwe, where his parents were farmworkers. The poems in Sunrise Poison were written when Zhuwao was 23 years old. At the time of his death in 1997, he had completed two short novels, and was working on a second book of poems.
Poems from Deep South books for the Small Publishers Event at the Poetry in McGregor Festival 2024
Dimakatso Sedite was born in Bloemfontein, and has an MA in Psychology from Wits University.
She has worked for many years in community development and adult training, and done research on vulnerable communities. Her poems describe the stark realities of survival for poor South Africans, but at the same time they celebrate the joys of everyday life. Sedite has written several reviews of books by South African poets.
Poems from Deep South books for the Small Publishers Event at the Poetry in McGregor Festival 2024
Ayanda Billie was born in KwaNobuhle, Uitenhage, where he still lives. He has published three collections of poetry in English and one in Xhosa. He is the co-founder, with Mxolisi Nyezwa, of the Mandela Bay Book Fair. Billie works at the Volkswagen SA factory in Uitenhage as an operator.
💐 We welcome home to South Africa 🇿🇦💐
Mangaliso, Gaireyah, Vonani, Enock, Alfred and Mxolisi
who have returned from the International Poetry Festival in China 🇨🇳
Our heartfelt thank you, to the China Writers Association, for so kindly hosting our esteemed poets!
Joan Metelerkamp's Book Launch Reading of *Under Dark Under Branches* for The Red Wheelbarrow Poetry Collective, on 19th June 2024.
"[...] a sense of what I think this book is about, in some ways, which is looking up, from underneath the under branches, at the light. Waiting, for some energy; connection which is not simply national. [...]
When I was sort of lamenting 'what the hell am I going to do now, how will I ever write again', and so on, Jo-ann Bekker, who is a friend and also a writer, said to me - she reminded me, that one of the things that I had said to her, was - 'Wait. One has to wait.'
In a way, looking at this book again, I think that one of the undercurrents [*laughs] is about waiting, and how to wait with direction and energy.
In other words, not waiting with a sense of irritation and what Keats called 'irritable reaching after fact and reason'. But waiting with openness, and a sense of energy, frankly."
- Joan Metelerkamp
"A lot of the family records were burnt to nothing, along with the houses that contained them, in the Knysna fire a few years ago. And I think that Joan felt that she should at least fill in where the family records might have been - imaginatively. And that's what we have in this wonderful book.
Joan also has a particular ability to write in a way that is both factual and imagistic, metaphorical and unconscious, all at the same time; and a multilevel kind of writing style, which has just developed - it's a poet's language, over the years. And you'll see that musicality and tone, the speaking voice, is very much a part of that."
- Robert Berold (publisher)
🔑:
Online book launch poetry reading and Q&A of Under Dark Under Branches (Deep South), Joan Metelerkamp's tenth poetry collection. June 2024
Joan Metelerkamp's previous Deep South publication is *Requiem* (2003), a book-length poem, written after the su***de of the poet's mother.
As part of the excellent, Dye Hard Interviews series, ("an offshoot of the Dye Hard Press blog, publishing interviews with writers, poets and small publishers throughout the world, [and] with an emphasis on the innovative and non-mainstream"), Alan Finlay spoke to Joan Metelerkamp, in 2015, after the publication of her eighth collection of poetry, *Now the World Takes These Breaths* (2014, Modjaji Books):
🔑: https://dyehardinterviews.blogspot.com/2015/04/how-interview-with-joan-metelerkamp_74.html
New book feature on *Chris van Wyk: Irascible Genius* by Kevin van Wyk, published in the Daily Maverick yesterday:
"Born in Soweto in 1957, Chris spent most of his life in Riverlea, publishing his first volume of poetry at the age of 22. An editor of Staffrider and Ravan Press, his first love was writing, especially for children. His poem ‘In Detention’ conjures up the evils of apartheid repression. His childhood memoir, *Shirley, Goodness & Mercy*, bubbles with humour and love for his mother, family and friends. A brilliant raconteur and humanist, Chris died prematurely aged 57.
🔑:
“This is a memoir, but also a book about writing and a love affair with words.” – Kevin van Wyk
🚀 New Deep South Release 🚀
*Under dark under branches*
by Joan Metelerkamp
*Under dark under branches*, Joan Metelerkamp’s tenth collection, continues the explorations of her recent book-length poems, opening out to five generations of family history and to the wider context of national history. The assured music of the book carries dialogues, lyrical passages, and fragments of narrative. Five years after leaving South Africa, the poet mourns the torn-out roots of her life – her community, environment and ancestors left behind in a country no longer her home.
Joan Metelerkamp grew up in KwaZulu-Natal. After university studies in English and Drama she worked in educational theatre and taught English at the Universities of the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. For twenty years she lived on a family farm outside Knysna with her husband and two children. In 2016 she moved to Devon, England, where she trained to be a teacher of the Alexander Technique. She now lives with her daughter and her family near Boston, USA.
Hear Here, Here Hear, Read All About it!
Press Release:
"Four renowned South African poets, namely Vonani Bila, Mxolisi Nyezwa, Mangaliso Buzani and Enock Shishenge will be off to China to participate in the international poetry festival
alongside poets and literary critics from the Brics countries. This poetry festival is organised by the China Writers Association, scheduled to take place from 18th -25th July this year in
Hangzhou and Beijing cities, China.
The poets will participate in poetry readings, dialogues, teach-ins and offer writing workshops to diverse audiences. They will also visit the newly built Zhejiang Literature Museum in Hangzhou and will also feature strongly at the closing ceremony at the National
Museum of Modern Chinese Literature, Beijing. The museum was founded in 1985. It is a first-class museum of China and the largest literary museum in the world. After nearly four decades of development and construction, it is now a multifunctional literary museum composed of exhibitions, libraries, archives, academic research and cultural exchanges.
The museum covers an area of 27, 000 square meters, of which 3, 000 square meters are used for housing books. So far there are nearly 930, 000 collections and over 150 libraries of writers in the museum. The museum is increasingly becoming a popular literary scene, a respected literary field, and a beautiful entrance for digital empowering literature. The invited poets will each donate their books to this prestigious museum for archiving and posterity.
The invited poets will have selections of their best poems included in the festival anthology in their original languages as well as in Chinese translation. Besides the poetry anthology, each participating poet has been invited to contribute an essay which will be published in the collection of scholarly essays which explore poetry, poetic form and sensibilities, aesthetics and the essence of projecting and protecting native languages in a multicultural
environment. The South African delegation, led by Bila from the Limpopo province, are drawn from three provinces, Nyezwa and Buzani from Ggeberha in the Eastern Cape, and Shishenge from Gauteng.
The South African delegation boasts several years of experience in poetry and cultural activism.
Bila, author of *Bilakhulu!*, *Handsome Jita*, *In the name of Amandla*, among some of his poetry collections, grew up in Shirley village. He is the founding editor of the poetry journal *Timbila*, publisher of Timbila books, curator of Vhembe International Poetry Festival, and founder of Timbila Writers Village, a retreat centre for writers.
In 2016, Bila and Max Marhanele produced a Xitsonga monolingual dictionary, *Tihlungu ta Rixaka*. Bila is currently a lecturer in English at the University of Limpopo. In addition to poetry, Bila has published essays on contemporary South African poetry and the creative arts.
Buzani is the author of *a naked bone* and winner of the 2019 Glenna Luschei Prize for African poetry. He grew up in Bhlawa (New Brighton). His first collection *Ndisabala Imibongo* written in isiXhosa, won the 2015 South African Literary Award (SALA) for poetry. Buzani teaches poetry in English and isiXhosa in the MA Creative Writing at Rhodes University. Buzani’s poetry draws from isiXhosa culture, Christianity and elements of nature. He writes love
poems in the widest sense, embracing the interface of daily life and the spiritual, expressing joy and compassion in the face of deprivation and mourning.
Nyezwa lives in Bhlawa, has published three poetry books in English, namely, *Song Trials*, *New Country*, and *Malikhanye*. Additionally, he has published a collection of isiXhosa poems
titled *Ndiyoyika*. His poetry has been featured in numerous anthologies in South Africa and internationally. His new book, a memoir titled *Bhlawa’s Inconsolable Spirits* was published in
2023. In the 1980s he was a member of the Congress of South African Writers (COSAW). His second collection of poetry, *New Country*, won him the SALA for Poetry in 2009. His writing
awards include the Thomas Pringle Poetry Prize, Dalro Poetry Award, and Port Elizabeth / Gothenburg City Poetry Prize. Mxolisi has been the editor of the English and isiXhosa writing
magazine, *Kotaz* since its inception in 1997. *Kotaz* has been pivotal in sustaining writing by Black poets in South Africa, especially those who live in the Eastern Cape province and uses
isiXhosa language. Nyezwa also curates the Mandela Bay Book Fair from Gqeberha, Eastern Cape Province, where he interacts with writers’ groups and students from community schools and universities to promote poetry and books and teach about isiXhosa language rights.
Shishenge is a multi-award-winning poet, teacher, unionist and an indigenous languages activist, born in Jim Jones village, Limpopo province, but now based in Ivory Park, Gauteng. He is the author of three poetry books in English, namely, *Lockdown*, *My Gospel Scriptures* and *Times of Fears and Tears* and a novel in Xitsonga, *Muhloti wa tinyarhi*. His recent book is *The Struggle of a Black child*.
The participating South African poets envisage to establish and strengthen relationships with the Chinese poets and fellow writers from Brazil, India, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia
and the United Arab Emirates – all members of Brics. They believe this relationship will result in cultural cooperation, literary exchanges, writing residencies, fellowships and opportunities for
poetry translation, publications and scholarly research.
"Shaping the world one word at a time" a recent Sunday Times feature article by Kevin van Wyk for the publication of his memoir: *Chris van Wyk: Irascible Genius* (Pan Macmillan SA, 2024).
"Writers are not just writing so that you can sit back with a book: they are writing so that you can think about South Africa, so that you can think about the world. That is what we writers do, we write so that we can shape the world. It sounds like an enormous, majestic notion but that is what people involved in culture do. They write to challenge people: to make them see what the world looked like before and how it's going to look in the future."
(Chris van Wyk, from a radio interview in 1995).
Chris van Wyk's *My Mother's Laughter: Selected Poems* was published by Deep South in 2020.
🔐: https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/opinion-and-analysis/insight/2024-07-07-shaping-the-world-one-word-at-a-time/
Vonani Bila, whose collection *Bilakhulu!* was published in 2015, is also the founder of the Timbila Poetry Project, which itself has published collections by poets such as Goodenough Mashego, Makhosazana Xaba and Mbongeni Khumalo.
Cover art: *Paesekele se Robege* by Colbert Mashile.
📣The 2024 African Small Publishers Catalogue⚓️ Call
An invaluable resource for "publishers, writers, librarians, booksellers, editors, readers, NGOs and anyone involved in promoting reading, writing & African Publishing."
I'm working on the 2024 African Small Publishers Catalogue (it's the 6th edition) which we aim to publish by October. You can be a part of it. You can sponsor a page, take out an ad, take out a listing, if you want to know more get in touch.
This invaluable reference book lists over 60 small and independent publishers from across Africa, including countries such as Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Senegal, Nigeria, Togo, Mauritius, Mozambique, Morocco, Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi, Algeria, South Africa, and Namibia. Countries outside of Africa that list their work in African publishing include Canada, Germany, the UK, the US, Switzerland, and France.
The catalogue provides contact details for these publishers but also features articles which offer insights into the challenges and experiences of small publishers in Africa. It serves as a valuable resource for publishers, writers, librarians, booksellers, NGOs involved in promoting reading, literacy and African Publishing.
Please get in touch if you would like to be listed or take out an advert. Affordable prices for every pocket. If you have an idea for an article for the catalogue please pitch either by DM or by emailing me at [email protected]
Colleen Higgs recently chaired a panel discussion at the Kingsmead Book Fair entitled, "The Mother Wound" with Nozibele Mayaba, Mosh*tadi Lehlomehla, & Mosh*tadi Lehlomehla.
To read a reflection on the experience, please see her Substack: 'A Wild Patience'
🗝: https://colleenhiggs.substack.com/p/the-mother-wound
The new Deep South website (with archive) - launching soon! 🚀
Deep South author Jim Pascual Agustin embarks on a series of readings at various public libraries in Cape Town. He will be sharing work from his recent books including BLOODRED DRAGONFLIES (Deep South, Makhanda 2022), CROCODILES IN BELFAST (Vhakololo Press, Limpopo 2023) and WAKING UP TO THE PATTERN LEFT BY A SNAIL OVERNIGHT (Gaudy Boy, New York 2023).
The first event will be on the 14th of October, Saturday, 10.30am at the Central Library in Cape Town.
These are free events to promote the wonderful service of public libraries.
https://youtu.be/0oNK-6Yn9u4
This is an edited version of the online pre-launch event for the book BLOODRED DRAGONFLIES. Apologies for the late posting.
This is the pre-launch Zoom recording of Bloodred Dragonflies which took place on 28 April 2022. Published by Robert Berold's Deep South, Bloodred Dragonflie...
On International Day of Families (May 15th), we celebrate the work of Mxolisi Nyezwa, who has emerged as one of the most compelling voices in South African poetry over the past two decades. In his third collection, “Malikhanye” ( Deep South Publishing, 2011), he writes with searing beauty about his sense of loss at the death of his young son.
It is poetry of the highest quality, written in the language of a beating heart. The honesty of this prolific poet’s words will touch and console anyone experiencing loss.
Visit the AVBOB Poetry blog and learn more about the things that move and inspire him.
Follow the link here: https://bit.ly/3NVZnXS
Thank you Gary Cummiskey
Not only is Bhlawa’s Inconsolable Spirits the first book that poet Mxolisi Nyezwa has published in six years, but it is also his first prose work.
Taban Lo Liong (born 1939) is a South Sudanese/Ugandan writer and author of over twenty books - all of which bristle with satire, roguish comedy and a spirit of defiance. He's also the author of after troy, a booklength poem published by Deep South Publishing in 2021. Visit his new official website for more.
taban lo liyong Taban Lo Liyong / Taban lo-liyong is a South Sudanese poet, critic, novelist, and short-story writer, was born in South Sudan. He received his early education at Gulu High School and the Sir Samuel Baker School, and subsequently studied at a teachers’ college in Uganda, at Howard U...
Bhlawa’s Inconsolable Spirits
by Mxolisi Nyezwa
Mxolisi Nyezwa was born in 1967 in Bhlawa (New Brighton). He is the author of three books of poems in English, Song Trials (2000), New Country (2008 ), and Malikhanye (2011), and a book of Xhosa poems, Ndiyoyika (2016). His poetry has appeared in several anthologies in South Africa and internationally. In 1997 Nyezwa founded the multilingual cultural journal Kotaz, which he still edits. He is also a publisher of books in Xhosa under the imprint Imbizo Arts, and runs a small business and urban chicken farm in Motherwell, outside Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).
Bhlawa’s Inconsolable Spirits is startling, often humorous, always graphic. Determined to understand everything, the young Nyezwa turns to writing to “train himself to see”. In Nyezwa’s vision no boundaries exist between imagination, day-to-day survival, spiritual reality, and economic violence: “What everyone saw up there at night in Bhlawa, and called the moon, was just the hungry face of God.”
Published by Deep South, Makhanda
Date of publication: January 2023
[email protected]
ISBN 978-1-928476-48-1
ebook ISBN 978-1-928476-49-8
160 pages 200 x 130mm retail price R160-00
South African distribution: Blue Weaver Marketing and Distribution
https://blueweaver.co.za
International and ebook distribution: African Books Collective
www.africanbookscollective.com/publishers/deep-south
“Being a poet is only partly to do with language. The rest is about facing yourself, listening to yourself. When I’m not honest with myself, my poetry is weakened and no amount of skill can rescue it. More and more, I believe the only way to continue as a writer is to go with risky creative choices in your life as much as in your writing.”
Much-loved poetry teacher, Robert Berold, is a seminal voice in the South African canon. He is also the editor and founder of Deep South Publishing poetry press. He shared his incisive insights with poetry teacher Liesl Jobson in the final online writing workshop hosted by the AVBOB Poetry Project.
With just a few weeks to go before the AVBOB Poetry Competition closes, be sure to read this engaging Q&A: https://www.avbobpoetry.co.za/Blog/View/115
Deep South poet Jim Pascual Agustin wins 2022 Gaudy Boy Poetry Book Prize.
Filipino-South African poet Jim Pascual Agustin was awarded the 2022 Gaudy Boy Poetry Book Prize by New York-based press Singapore Unbound for his work “Waking Up to the pattern Left by a Snail Overnight.”
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=496771992456296&id=100063704974382&m_entstream_source=timeline
Deep South author Jim Pascual Agustin will be at Blown Away by Books Festival in Fish Hoek. Jim, a Filipino-South African, will be in conversation with fellow poet Mike Cope. Copies of BLOODRED DRAGONFLIES will be available at the event which is free to the public.
10:30 – 11:30 Friday, 16 September 2022
"One collection, namely Yellow Shade by Dimakatso Sedite (Published by Deep South) was hailed by the judges as “a welcomed contribution to the contemporary tide of Black women publishing new work.”Yellow Shade was joint winner of the 2022 NIHSS Award for best book of poetry."
Get your copy here: https://www.africanbookscollective.com/books/yellow-shade
The winner of the Ingrid Jonker Prize for English poetry 2022 was just announced.
Henk Rossouw's review in World Literature Today of Makie Sedite's debut, YELLOW SHADE from Deep South Publishing
Deep South. 2021. 67 pages.
deep south author Ari Sitas honoured at the NIHSS awards. Get his Rough Music here https://www.africanbookscollective.com/books/rough-music
One of the highlights of the was the honour of the evening that was given to the Founder and Chairperson of the NIHSS board, Prof Ari Sitas. A leader, a mentor and an academic juggernaut.
Thank you for your selfless service to the NIHSS Prof.
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Deep South was started in 1996 by Paul Wessels and Robert Berold [who took over as sole owner/publisher from 2004]. We aim to publish innovative and risk-taking South African poetry, regardless of market limitations.
We have published over 30 books: mostly poetry, but some novels. We like to think our books do what all good writing can do – open new ways of seeing the world.
Deep South has distribution arrangements with University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, who market to bookshops and libraries locally, and African Books Collective in Oxford UK, who handle international distribution and e-book publication. South African readers can get books direct from [email protected]
